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Home
Poetry
Culture

‘The Babylonian Exile’ and Other Poetry by Jeffrey Essmann

The Society
January 5, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
5 Comments
. The Babylonian Exile At first it cut much quicker to the bone: The loss of all, our world brought to the brink. But by and by you slowly start to think That maybe your concerns were overblown. Their gods are...
Poetry Catholic priest abortion

A Poem for Defrocked Priest Frank Pavone: ‘Unholy Orders’ by Joshua C. Frank

The Society
January 4, 2023
Culture, Poetry
70 Comments
. Unholy Orders for defrocked priest Frank Pavone I heard disturbing news: Pope Francis fired a priest For preaching pro-life views To save some of the least, Against unholy orders From bishops from on...

‘Shams’ and Other Poetry by C.B. Anderson

The Society
January 3, 2023
Culture, Humor, Poetry, Satire
18 Comments
. Shams Shams-i Tabrizi was Rumi’s intimate friend and spiritual mentor. I stayed awake those short midsummer nights When naked druids danced beneath the moon’s Hypnotic glow performing pagan rites And...

‘A Broadside’ by Peter Lillios

The Society
January 3, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Readings
17 Comments
. . A Broadside Drawn up before us, proud and sure, Costumed in their haute couture, And sporting all the best coiffures, With colours purple and azure, Loom the powers of disarray, Armed with bromide and...

Two Winter Poems by Phil S. Rogers

The Society
January 2, 2023
Culture, Humor, Poetry
9 Comments
. The Winter Cold I so despise the winter cold; I admit it makes me utter all kinds of truly nasty words, disposition in the gutter. The snow, the ice, this arctic clime do not set my heart aflutter, and...

‘Calendar Poems’: An Essay by Margaret Coats

The Society
January 1, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Essays, Found Poem, Poetry
39 Comments
. Calendar Poems by Margaret Coats January loves what goblets hold, And February complains of cold. March plows the fields with furrows new, And April nurtures each flower’s hue. Dew on the grass, and leaves...

Two Different Views on New Year’s Resolutions: Poems by David Whippman and Evan Mantyk

The Society
December 31, 2022
Culture, Poetry, Villanelle
16 Comments
. New Year’s Resolution a villanelle by David Whippman And what have you resolved for the new year? I guarantee your vows will be in vain. Oh, I don’t doubt that right now you’re sincere. But soon,...

Two New Year’s Eve Poems by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
December 31, 2022
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Satire
30 Comments
. Same Old New Year   I bid adieu. You shuffle out. A new you shimmies in--- A you without the frown and pout, A happy you of zip and clout, And once again I’ve little doubt You’ll make me rich and...

A Poem for Isabel Vaughan-Spruce: ‘Her Silent Prayer’ by Susan Jarvis Bryant 

The Society
December 30, 2022
Culture, Poetry
29 Comments
. Her Silent Prayer  for Isabel Vaughan-Spruce  Beneath the whisper of suburban trees One sombre, sunless, British afternoon, A hushed and humble lady stood at ease In...

Poems Against Birth Control, from Joshua C. Frank

The Society
December 30, 2022
Beauty, Blank Verse, Culture, Found Poem, Poetry, Rondeau
21 Comments
. Two Empty Chairs “We did the NFP bit for awhile ... and have felt revulsion over it ever since. During that time we might have had at least two more children.”  ---Letter to the Editor, Seattle...

‘Where Ever-present Joy Knows Naught of Time’ and Other Poetry by Cynthia Erlandson

The Society
December 29, 2022
Beauty, Culture, Dante, Poetry, Rondeau Redoublé
25 Comments
. “Where Ever-present Joy Knows Naught of Time” ---Dante, Paradiso, Canto X, D.L. Sayers translation a rondeau redouble Where ever-present joy knows naught of time, The music of infinity is sung In...

‘Crimes Against My Sanity’ and Other Poems on Parenting by Anna J. Arredondo

The Society
December 29, 2022
Culture, Humor, Poetry, Villanelle
22 Comments
. Crimes Against My Sanity At any-given-time o’clock While tidying my house, I find--- Oh look---is that another sock? It really isn’t such a shock; My kids for chaos were designed At any-given-time...

‘Addiction’ by Paul Buchheit

The Society
December 28, 2022
Culture, Poetry
14 Comments
. Addiction A ripple imperceptible, like hints of amber in the tiring balsams, swells to waves of apprehension, then imprints a vision on my mind, with carousels of pirouetting bronze bouquets that plead for...

‘The Fall of Babylon’ and Other Poetry by William Harrison

The Society
December 27, 2022
Culture, Poetry
10 Comments
. The Fall of Babylon Come hear the footsteps march at warlike pace, Come see the merchants weep and craftsmen flee. The vengeful grin on every stranger's face; The angel's cast the millstone in the...

‘St. Joseph’s Hymn of Praise’ and Other Christmas Poetry by Brian Yapko

The Society
December 25, 2022
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Villanelle
27 Comments
. St. Joseph's Hymn of Praise Matthew 2: 10-15: “And when the Magi were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee...

‘An Iffy Christmas’ by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
December 25, 2022
Culture, Poetry, Readings, The Environment
28 Comments
. . An Iffy Christmas   with a nod and a wink to Rudyard Kipling If you can’t rise above the treetop fairy (That plastic risk to Rudolph’s rosy nose); If you can’t marvel at the Virgin Mary And...

‘Christmas Rules and Promises’ and Other Poetry by Roy E. Peterson

The Society
December 25, 2022
Culture, Humor, Poetry
14 Comments
.   Christmas Rules and Promises My first rule for this Christmas is__No carrot sticks for me.They might have been a snowman's nose,__So I will let them be. My second rule this Christmas is__Your gift I will...

‘Glory in the Night’ by Martin Rizley

The Society
December 24, 2022
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
12 Comments
. Glory in the Night It was a night like any night, when in the evening chill Cold shepherds sat by bonfire's light on many a naked hill To warm themselves while watching over flocks of wandering sheep That...

‘Nativity Scene’ and Other Christmas Eve Poetry by Margaret Coats

The Society
December 24, 2022
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
43 Comments
. Nativity Scene The hour draws near to midnight, and a priest Completes his preparations for the feast, Assisting at last practice with the choir, Inspecting layout in a makeshift stable, Checking on the...

Classical Guitar for Christmas Performed by Poet Jeff Eardley

The Society
December 23, 2022
Culture, Music, Poetry
25 Comments
. A Christmas medley by poet Jeff Eardley: . . Jeff Eardley lives in the heart of England near to the Peak District National Park and is a local musician playing guitar, mandolin and piano steeped in the...

‘The Present—Tense’ by Damian Robin

The Society
December 23, 2022
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
14 Comments
. The Present---Tense The partial thaw of yesterday now slips Beneath a crust of light that is white snow. This snow is hiding stumbling blocks that trip Intrepid elders' steps to broken hips As small-warmed...

A Translation of Martin Luther’s Christmas Hymn Vom Himmel Hoch by James A. Tweedie

The Society
December 23, 2022
Culture, Music, Poetry, Translation
20 Comments
. Vom Himmel Hoch by Martin Luther (1483-1546) translation by James A. Tweedie 1. From highest heaven I here befall To bring a good news tale to all. So much I want this tale to bring To tell it I will gladly...

‘Sunday Morning While the World Burns’ by Shaun C. Duncan

The Society
December 22, 2022
Culture, Poetry
18 Comments
. Sunday Morning While the World Burns Another something, somewhere, every day Perturbs the practised calm of her routine. Those sad reflections on the fractured screen Of tragedy ten thousand miles...

A Poem on Stanford University’s ‘Harmful Language’ List, by James A. Tweedie

The Society
December 21, 2022
Culture, Poetry
28 Comments
. “Use the Word ‘Cancel’ or ‘End’ Instead of 'Abort'" —Stanford University's 'Harmful Language' List What might have been What could have been What would have been A child who dared to climb a...

On Bosch’s ‘The Garden of Earthly Delights’ Triptych: Poems by Jeffrey Essmann

The Society
December 21, 2022
Art, Culture, Ekphrastic, Poetry
10 Comments
. See the painting more closely here. Eden The newborn world is all aswirl with beasts Obedient who, as God specified, Have duly fruitful been, have multiplied And claim laid to the garden west to east. Their...

‘Continuation’ and Other Poetry by C.B. Anderson

The Society
December 20, 2022
Culture, Poetry, Satire
26 Comments
. Continuation You and I are of two discrepant minds: We disagree on all that matters—plus, Our separate brains are not quite sure what kinds Of things they favor, making four of us. The four of us engage...

‘Mother’s TV’ and Other Poetry by James Kirkpatrick

The Society
December 20, 2022
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Triolet
15 Comments
. Mother’s TV It numbs regretBut, better yet,Helps her forget,Lest devils spawn. It quells each thoughtOf folly’s rotLost, sold, or bought,From dawn till dawn. Time Confounder,Siren Sounder,Demon Drowner...
poem/yapko/elagabalus/transgender

On Cambridge Dictionary Expanding Woman Definition: ‘There She Goes’ by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
December 19, 2022
Culture, Poetry, Satire
79 Comments
. There She Goes When Everyone’s a Woman, No One’s a Woman upon reading the news story here. There she goes, erased from Cambridge pages--- An instant relic wafting on the fringe Of lunacy as sybils,...

‘The Tartini Tones’ by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
December 18, 2022
Beauty, Culture, Music, Poetry
26 Comments
. The Tartini Tones Combination tones generated by violins of good quality can be easily heard, affecting the perception of the intervals. The harmonic content of the dyad is enriched by the combination tones...

‘The Portrait’ and Other Poetry by Lionel Willis

The Society
December 17, 2022
Art, Beauty, Culture, Poetry
10 Comments
. The Portrait   I dreamed I was an artist, and had made A likeness of the one I loved for all To wonder at, and, that the homage paid Might grow, I hung it on a trendy wall. It was a likeness, but had...

‘Toward Yehuling, 1211’ by Talbot Hook

The Society
December 15, 2022
Beauty, Blank Verse, Culture, Poetry
16 Comments
. Toward Yehuling, 1211 Unfolding steppes emerge as flattened plains Of long grasses of gold and April-green, While crystal streams, like bold and careless children, Careen away through boundless fallow...

‘Lessons in Love’ by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
December 15, 2022
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
52 Comments
. Lessons in Love  inspired by William George Falconer (1922 – 2006) I. The First The photo flew from Grandad’s falling wallet. It fluttered to the floor within my reach. I picked it up and saw the...

Upon the Death of the Poet’s Brother: ‘Gathering in the Names’ by Martin Hill Ortiz

The Society
December 12, 2022
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
7 Comments
. Gathering in the Names for Michael Vincent Laureate Ortiz Hill (1957-2022) I'll add names to my life until I'm subtracted, And my name is as long as this poem. There's a scroll with a list of the lives I've...

‘Sister Thérèse Scatters Flowers’ and Other Poetry by Brian Yapko

The Society
December 11, 2022
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
22 Comments
. Sister Thérèse Scatters Flowers Soeur Madèleine has brought me this bouquet--- Vermillion, scarlet, each rose bright and pretty. She’s kind to join me in my cell to pray, But I cannot accept her...

‘The 2022 State Dinner’ by Cheryl Corey

The Society
December 10, 2022
Culture, Poetry, Satire
17 Comments
. The 2022 State Dinner Elites come to Washington and dine On lobster harvested in Maine. (They plan To regulate the catch, create a ban, Because enviros claim the fishing line Is killing whales.) Also on the...

A Poem on the Harry and Meghan Netflix Show, by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
December 8, 2022
Culture, Poetry, Satire, Villanelle
54 Comments
. A Right Royal Circus a villanelle  Roll up! Roll up! Come hear the desperate call Of sparkless Markle and her spurned buffoon. With pleas for privacy, they welcome all. They welcome all like flies upon a...

‘Covid on a Clear Day’ by Laurie Holding

The Society
December 8, 2022
Covid-19, Culture, Poetry
5 Comments
. Covid on a Clear Day One day I window watched for things to write; the next day I was lost, and underneath the spell of fever, hot, with skin stretched tight, I slept curled up with clenched and grinding...

On CBS Confirming Hunter Biden’s Laptop, and Other Poetry by Russel Winick

The Society
December 7, 2022
Culture, Poetry, Satire
27 Comments
. CBS Has Now Verified CBS says it’s now verified, The laptop Hunter took in for repair. And other breaking news that it’s supplied Is Washington has crossed the Delaware. . . Plan Needed Republicans...

‘China’s Silent Screams’ by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
December 6, 2022
Culture, Human Rights in China, Poetry
25 Comments
. China’s Silent Screams  The CCP will never hear the screams Of those who strive to find their way back home. It steals all hope and freedom---snatches dreams From lost souls tossed where wolves...

‘Grifters’ and Other Poetry by C.B. Anderson

The Society
December 6, 2022
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Satire
19 Comments
. Grifters With smug, aggressive faux urbanity __They do their worst to seize control. They think it signals perfect sanity __When they adopt a regal role, Expecting us to stroke their vanity, __Lest our good...
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  1. Christina Lesinski on ‘Double Rondel for Pentecost’ by Margaret CoatsJune 10, 2025

    God bless you, Mrs. Coats, for writing such an inspired and moving poem, which was much more like a prayer…

  2. C.B. Anderson on ‘Two Love Poems’ by James A. TweedieJune 10, 2025

    I'm glad we understand one another.

  3. Joseph S. Salemi on Formal Aspects of Free Verse: A Video by Andrew Benson BrownJune 10, 2025

    Wow, this is one helluva informative video! It touches on a great many aspects of versifying in a clear and…

  4. Joseph S. Salemi on ‘An Update for Dylan Thomas’s Aunt’: A Poem by Joseph S. SalemiJune 10, 2025

    He certainly was highly gifted as a wordsmith. His "A Child's Christmas in Wales" is unforgettable. It is a pity…

  5. C.B. Anderson on ‘Time and Place’: A Poem by Margaret BrintonJune 10, 2025

    Keep it up, Maggie. Right now you might be the best thing to come out of California we have seen…

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